A design for decontamination

on 4 September 2014

When considering a new dental display or the need to improve decontamination procedures, the ability to thoroughly clean and disinfect a computer display is often overlooked

If appropriate decontamination practices are not in place, dental healthcare workers and patients can be exposed to a range of pathogenic micro-organisms. With the increased prevalence of potential cross contamination, and the importance of best practice decontamination, a sealed and cleanable design is becoming indispensable. This is why Barco specifically developed the Eonis 22” display for dentists.

The hidden bacteria

Computer displays tend to be underestimated as possible sources of cross contamination.

Dental professionals routinely wash their hands with antibacterial agents, change gloves, and take many other measures to prevent cross contamination.

But even with these precautions, staff may touch or change the angle of a computer display, especially chair side. More concerning is that during procedures there is a high chance of aerosol spray; (the potential transient to infectious bodily fluids travelling through the air) then coming into contact with displays.

Once this potential contamination lands on a hard dry surface – not only on the outside as a multiple touch point, but also reaching within non-sealed displays – potential pathogens can survive for days or even months.

Moreover conventional computer displays can include fans and vents, which can disperse these now dust-associated microbes, potentially settling on other surfaces, such as worktops, stored equipment, dental instruments, computer keyboards other displays and patients themselves.

A typical computer work-station can support up to 10 million bacteria1 (400 times more germs than are found on the average toilet seat). Next to the keyboard, a major contributor to this figure is the conventional computer display.

Despite this reality, the vast majority of dental practices don’t have a best practice cleaning policy for computer displays and keyboards.

Why? Because typical keyboards and displays have features such as raised keys and bezels, which are hard to clean and aren’t designed to be fully-cleanable with cleaning chemicals and do not offer any IP sealing to deal with liquid ingress.

Presenting staff with a fit for purpose Eonis 22” dental design a 100% flat and sealed display can greatly improve regular decontamination and will likely save time. Keyboards should also be 100% flat and easy to clean, such as the HTM-0105 approved Medigenic keyboard and mouse. The Eonis and Medigenic are certified via IEC-6060-1 meaning that they are safe to operate within one metre of patient use.

Best practice

How can Barco’s new Eonis 22” design help ensure best practice decontamination? By answering the series of points raised here today:

Exceptional cleanability – including 70% alcohol

Ability to clean between every patient

100% flat edge to edge – no bezels

No fans, no vents, no air circulating pathogens

IP-32 rating, completely sealed front to back

Toughened, scratch-proof glass – protection against intensive use

Display sensor automatically aligns image quality

Medical-grade certifications – IEC-6060-1.

How often should you clean an Eonis dental display?

The minimum cleaning regime for computer equipment of this type every 12 hours.

The working day allows for the cleaning of keyboards and displays between every patient, helping to conform to best practice decontamination. There’s no reason why staff wouldn’t adopt these new cleaning regimes since it can take as little as 10 seconds to clean both devices; meaning that dentists could have some of the cleanest keyboards and displays in any healthcare environment!

Final words

In conclusion, as the need for cleaning and disinfection policies in dentistry becomes greater, there is a growing need for dental displays with fully cleanable design with IEC-6060-1. This requires a completely sealed solution that can withstand exposure to commonly used liquids and the intensive usage in a dental practice setting.

APC Contech, leader in best practice infection prevention technologies and preferred dental partner of Barco Healthcare, offers free demos and uniquely configures the integrated Eonis consistency sensor (ECS), which auto-aligns brightness for stable, consistent images to a shorter hourly interval. When the ECS is flashing it can also be used as a reminder to clean the display.